The Next Generation job
by DarkShadow9007
Summary: This story takes place around the Two Live Crew job. While the two teams face off, A secret crew is listening and watching them. They are looking for an alliance with one of them, and this job is the one that will make them chose which crew to go for. Rated T for much too hilarious content and mild slappage! BACK IN SESSION!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the leverage characters, but I own the next generation!

* * *

"So, you think you can just take the stolen painting from under us?"

That was a very good question indeed. Nathan ford didn't know what to think of this..."Other Crew." They were supposed to take back a Klimt painting from a corrupt bank tycoon to give back to a nice, German couple, but the other crew got to it first. Now they are going after a Van Gogh from an Auction House. Nate was not gonna let this guy get away with theft and attempted murder (He tried to blow up Sophie at the bar.)

"Oh, I was the one who thought of doing the con first, Nathan ford." Marcus Starke inquired. "You are trying to pull it out from under US, Thank you very much." "You will not get that painting, Marcus. We will make sure of that." "Of course, of course! I'm absolutely positive that you will try. But you will fail, and the painting will be ours!" "We'll see about that."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a secret location in Boston...

* * *

"Well. Now we know exactly what both teams are after. We can only go after one team. Any suggestions?" Cody Luca was the Mastermind of his crew, and he was very good at being a con artist. The reason why he was so good was because everyone under-estimated him and his crew. You would too, if you knew that the crew was a bunch of teenagers.

"I say we go after Starke." says a scrawny girl, about 14 years old. "I want to see what Colin Mason can do with his laptop!" Jessica Conwell was the tech wiz of the crew. Her father was a computer mogul, very rich and powerful, though she never saw eye-to-eye with him. "No, Let's go with Nathan Ford's crew." says a Vietnamese boy. "I hear Parker knows her safes." Chen Zhang, 15, was the thief, and he was definitely a player! He called himself "The Ladies Man". His father was a wealthy accountant, and his mother was a successful entrepreneur. "No! Starke is the mastermind AND the grifter! He is very smart. Obviously, he's the one to go for." Stephanie Gardner, also 15, was the grifter. She was very into fashion, like her mother, a high chic clothes designer, and she had a slight high-heel addiction. Her blonde hair and curvy body made her the "eye-candy" of the bunch.

All the while, the retrieval specialist was waiting patiently. Alex Goodman, 16, preferred to be called "The Hitter" because that was what she did best, but her crew needed someone who could do something besides punch people, so she adopted the name "Retrieval Specialist." Her slim body and dark attitude made her quick and powerful. She was an orphan, her parents died in a car accident a long time ago. She grew up in the slum streets of Manhattan, where she learned how to survive and defend herself. She considered herself an outcast, but she was accepted into her crew through her fighting skills. "Well, I think we should go after Nathan Ford. Eliot Spencer is...very mysterious. I want to get to know him better. Besides that, he is very good at what he does, and I could learn from my experience with him."

Everyone looks to Cody. "You're the tie-breaker, man." says Jessica. Cody, 17, smirks his little half grin. It's a trademark to his family, a long line of government officials. "Hmm...Well. I say we wait." Jessica's eyes almost pop out of her head. "Wait?! Why would you ask for suggestions, if we're just going to wait?!" Jessica glares. Cody smiles and leans against the table. "Well, my reasoning is that we are a very valuable group of teenagers, and yes, even you, Alex. We want the best allies, and the best crew. Both these crews are very successful, so I say we wait and see who gets the painting. Whomever that may be, we will make an alliance with them. Do you understand now?" The crew reluctantly nods their heads. "All right. Lets make some popcorn and watch the show!"

* * *

At the auction, Eliot tries to fill in for Sophie as the face of the con. Sophie sits in the van with Hardison, surprised by all the work he does in there. From inside, Nate thinks it'll be a cakewalk.

Then Hardison's comm starts buzzing and he hears someone else's voice. Zoom to two cars over and there's a guy performing Hardison duties in a similarly equipped van.

Inside, Parker lifts a guard's badge, but missed the wallet. A guy dressed as a waiter walks into her tray and lifts the badge from her.

Hardison and his opponent trace each other on their computers, in a tech nerd-off. The other computer guy announces to his team that they have a visiting team.

Eliot and Parker spy their counterparts inside. Then Stark walks up to Nate.

Eliot prepares to face off with that team's muscle - a super hot Israeli chick. Without moving to engage the other, both mentally play through their upcoming fight in their imaginations.

The other team's equivalent of Parker lifts the auctioneer's wallet, but she takes it from him. She shows off her loot and he shows off her phone.

Stark runs down the Leveragers' past accomplishments and over the comm Sophie tells Nate to admit nothing or he'll use it against them.

In the van, Hardison recognizes the hacking as belonging to Chaos. The tech nerds step out of their respective vans, gunslinger style, and face off. They go after each other with keyboards, setting off car alarms and generally wreaking electronic havoc.

Inside, Eliot and the Israeli chick examine nearby swords, but still just fantasize their fight.

As Parker and her opposite prepare to have a serious pickpocket-off, the head security guy realizes he's lost his wallet and badge. He tells his team to triple security and shoos all the patrons out.

Stark grabs his Israeli muscle as Nate grabs Eliot (their imaginary fight having progressed to a kung-fu-flick climax with dozens of dead or unconscious bodies piled around them) and both teams clear out.

Back in the condo, they run down Stark's team. Each Leverager recognizes the name or exploits of their counterpart. (And for all you Star Trek nerds out there, Hardison mentions that Colin Mason - a.k.a. Chaos - is called the Kobayashi Maru by the CIA computer guys.)

Parker remarks on the thief Appollo, without apparent awareness of the irony, "people in that line of high-risk work tend to be very unstable. We can use that," which raises a few eyebrows.

Nate's fired up to go against Stark.

Cut to Stark, telling his crew all about the Leveragers. Both Nate and Stark conclude they have to go in tonight. Both resolve to get the painting, no matter what.

Back at the auction house, at night, the security guards turn on laser, motion sensors and cameras. Hardison gets control of the systems from the van. Sophie drives something into position.

Nate walks up to the auction house door, banging on it like a drunk guy so Eliot and Parker can sneak in while the guards are distracted. They run into an underground passageway where Parker quickly ends up in her usual heating duct. From the van, Hardison tells her to freeze - a motion sensor triggered.

But it's just a bird that got into the hallways, triggering the sensors. The guards turn off all the motion sensors until they can catch the bird. In the heating duct, Parker runs into Apollo. And then Eliot runs into the Mossad chick, Mikel Dayan. Turns out, he speaks Hebrew. And she doesn't hit like a girl. Chaos and Hardison talk to each other from their vans, alternately grabbing control of the systems.

Outside, Stark walks up to the security guard to check what's going on with Nate. Stark introduces himself as Nathan Ford, with the insurance company.

In the vent, Parker asks her counterpart what kind of bird he used to set off the sensors. They chat for a while then they both take off in opposite vent directions. Eliot keeps fighting, tearing Mossad lady's shirt open and bashing her into a pipe, which douses her with water to up the hotness quotient.

Parker comes into the main room to find her counterpart hanging next to the painting - but she's on the other side of the room. Chaos gets control of the lasers and turns off the power in Hardison's van.

Parker is trapped in a moving laser field.

The angry and now soaking wet Mossad chick fights back against Eliot.

Outside, a cop car pulls up behind Nate and Stark. Stark thinks Nate's sunk. But it's Sophie behind the wheel.

He asks if they went through all that trouble to get him. She tells Stark they went through all this trouble to save him. Parker backflips and cartwheels her way through the constantly shifting lasers and across the room. She unhooks the dude's harness, pins him on the ground with her foot and rips off her sneaking clothes.

Nate tells Hardison "now" and he cranks his power back on with a generator. You can't hack a classic.

Parker pulls out a gun and holds the dude to the floor, shouting for security. She's dressed as a cop. Security comes running.

Eliot and Mossad lady continue trading jabs until they're dripping wet and pressed against each other. Naturally, they start making out. Eliot hooks them together with cuffs. She doesn't seem to mind.

Upstairs, Parker as a cop greets Hardison as a cop and they tell the security guards they're having the painting dusted for prints.

Eliot walks up in a cop uniform, too, holding Mossad lady in cuffs. Hardison compliments the security guards for catching the crooks as the Leveragers lead them away.

Stark asks Sophie how exactly they're saving him. She explains that she thought he set the bomb. But he said something to Nate.

Flash back to Stark reviewing their exploits, implying Sophie was still a thief. He told his team he wanted to recruit her for the job.

Flash to Hardison looking up Stark's crew and comparing Chaos' face to footage from Sophie's apartment security camera, showing him delivering the bomb.

Stark asks Chaos why he'd want to kill Sophie. Chaos says he'd set up the perfect double cross and Stark bringing in Sophie would have ruined it. He wasn't about to try out-conning someone of Sophie's caliber.

Sophie thinks there might be a similar bomb in Stark's car. Stark doesn't believe them - until his car explodes behind them.

Sophie proposes a deal. They'll trade the paintings and keep their mouths shut to avoid ruining his rep. He agrees.

In the bar, each member of the team hangs out with their counterpart, sharing trade secrets and war stories. Eliot and Mossad lady compare scars. When Eliot shows off the bullet wound he got from a sniper in Myanmar, Raquel reveals that she happened to work as a sniper in Myanmar at about the same time. She holds up his cuffs with a naughty smile. He's embarrassed.

Stark magnanimously gives the Klimt back to the German couple.

Stark says Sophie's not the Sophie he remembers. But she does still run cons, break laws and handed over a stolen masterpiece - so she's still a thief.

After he walks away, Sophie checks with Nate that she gave him one of the fakes.

Flash to Parker lifting the security guard's badge in the auction hall and her counterpart getting her phone... which the Leveragers traced to Stark's hideout in order to swipe the prepared forgeries.

But they made good use of the real one. Cut to Chaos trying to board a flight to Paris and getting stopped by security with four Van Gogh's in his checked baggage, one of which is marked as the real one with a cheery post-it note.

* * *

"Perfect!" Cody has just finished watching the security footage, and he is quite impressed. Not only did Nathan's team beat Starke's, but he also took down Chaos in the process! And, he helped a nice couple get back a family heirloom. This team really was the definitely baddest team in town. "Crew, looks like we're going to McRory's."


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright! Here is the next chapter!**

* * *

Back at the bar, the counterparts have all left, and everyone's getting ready to go home. Suddenly, the lights go off, pitching the bar into complete darkness. They hear the double doors open to the bar, outlining a business clad figure. The wind is howling and rain is pounding on the sidewalk. Then the lights turn back on and they are surrounded by...

"Teenagers?!" Eliot is completely at a loss for words. At first he thought that there was a power surge, but no. There is a bunch of teenagers that have sneaked into the bar. The figure steps into the light and nods his head at Nate. "Hello, Leverage team. My name is Cody Luca. I am here to talk you into a deal."

Nate just stares at the sight that is happening around him. There is a Vietnamese boy wearing black, tight-fitting clothing hanging from the rafters of his bar. A nerdy looking girl in thick glasses and dark, braided hair is sitting at a table, a laptop open on her lap. There's a tall girl to his right, wearing clothes fit for Sophie and 4 inch high-heels. There is a girl with long brown hair sitting cross-legged on the bar counter, wearing Punk-style clothing and combat boots, playing with what looked like a Rubik's Pyramid. Then there's the boy in front of him, wearing a tailored business suit, talking about doing a deal with him. Teenager's doing an adult's business? This was different.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'deal', Cody. Whatever prank this is, I'm not buying it. Get out of my bar. You're all underage, and I don't let underage children in my bar." Cody sighs. He expected this to happen, and now that it has he doesn't know what to say. Luckily, Stephanie interfered with her quick thinking. "Sir, this is no prank. We are just like you guys. We are con-artists." Nate raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Con-artists. Yeah, well, you're still children..." "Teenagers!" Everyone turns to the nerdy girl. "Were teenagers, Nathan. We are con-artists, but you don't believe us, I can tell. You haven't even heard our offer, and yet you're turning us down. That is completely unfair. You might want to at least listen before you make any rash decisions."

Hardison frowns, then slowly nods his head in agreement. "The girl is right, Nate. We should at least hear what they have to say." "Are you hearing yourself, Hardison? Were dealing with chi-teenagers here!" "So?" Nate puts up his hands, exasperated. Cody steps up and finds his voice. "Look, I completely understand. We are teenagers, and we are underage. But what we do is exactly what you guys do. We help people. This here is my crew, and we help the children in this town with bullies. We take down teenage gangs. We are just like you. We run cons on the people who hurt and torment on the weak. We are all con-artists here. Take Stephanie here." He gestures to the tall girl. "She is 15, yet she can tell people she's 25 and a model and they believe her. She is an amazing grifter, thanks to her mom." "My mom is a fashion designer who knows how to get what she wants! She can be very persuasive." She smirks.

"Then there's Jessica Conwell." He points to the nerd girl. She looks up at them and smiles. "Yep, I can hack into just about anything. My dad designed the computer software InTex." "Wait, InTex?!" Hardison is staring at her. "What's so special about InTex?" Parker asks. "It's just the most complex, state of the art software on Earth. Only the very rich and wealthy people have access to InTex! Your dad is a freaking computer genius!" Jess rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, he's not such a genius when it comes to parenting."

"That's Chen Zhang." He nods his head towards the boy who was lowering himself from the ceiling. "Helllloooo, Parker!" He interrupts, smirking. Parker looks appalled. "Just in case you didn't notice, I quite enjoy hanging from tall buildings! Plus, My dad's an account manager for the Presidential Bank, and my mom is making millions on her new jewelry box venue! You could say that I have a lot of money to waste away on a pretty girl like you." He winks at her. Cody shakes his head. "I am very sorry for his brassiness. He can get a little carried away with his flirting." Parker just looks like she wants to stab Chen with a fork.

"Then, of course, there's miss Alexandria Goodman, though she goes by Alex." Everyone turns to the girl on the bar counter. She looks up from her puzzle, blue eyes seemingly piercing the souls of Nate's crew. "Hi." She says coolly. "I like to kick people's asses, and I'm good at saving people from complete and utter disaster. I help people get out safe and unharmed in hostile situations." And with that she goes back to her puzzle. Eliot frowns. "_This girl is quite different then the other kids."_ He thinks._"__She was more secluded then the others. And she has this dark air to her that makes her seem unapproachable. I wonder what could have made her that way?" "_Hey, is that a Rubik's Pyramid?" He says aloud. "Those things are impossible to solve! I tried to solve one for months to no prevail." She sighs. "It's difficult, but not impossible. I have a trick that works every time." She says in a bored tone. She never looks up from her game.

"And who are you exactly, Mr. Cody Luca?' Nate asks the boy. He just smirks. "Luca? I've heard that name before." Sophie comments. "Well, I do come from a long line of government officials, so to speak." "Oh my gosh!" Sophie exclaims. "Your related to Counselor Bryant Luca, aren't you? I knew I'd seen that grin before!" "And the winner is, Sophie Devereaux! Oh, I almost forgot, We already know your team's background, there's no need to introduce yourselves." Nate was just perplexed. These kids were filthy rich, yet they help the low-lifes because they like to help people. This was definitely different.

* * *

"So, What exactly is this 'deal' you were talking about?" Nate goes over to the bar and gets himself a drink. Cody stops grinning and puts on his 'business face'. "Oh, yes! You see, we may be con-artists, but we are extremely inexperienced. Yeah, we've dabbled in the field a bit, but we aren't professionals. That's why we need you and your team. My deal is if you let us hang around you guys for a few weeks, we will help you guys with whatever we can. We promise not to be a burden, we can take care of ourselves, but we really need this. You guys are the professionals here. We need this learning experience if you would consider. We could really use this to our advantage." Nate raises his eyebrows. "So, whats the catch?" Nate knew this deal had more to it than they were putting out. Cody looks at Stephanie, who is nodding at him reassuringly. He takes a deep breath. "Well, here's the thing. We want this experience, but we also need something." He glances at Alex briefly, then continues. "We want a 5% cut."

"WHAT?!" Everyone on Nate's team screams. Alex's head snaps up, eyes ice cold, and glares at him. "But you guys are freaking rich!" Eliot bellows. "5%?! That's way too much!" Sophie implies. Nate's trying to calm everyone down. Hardison is practically hysterical. Parker is covering her ears. "Alright, ALRIGHT!" Nate shouts at the top of his lungs. Everyone quiets down, but they still grumble about the fact that they are furious. Alex gets down from her perch, slamming down her puzzle,and stalks over to Cody. Before he can process what's going on, she slaps him as hard as she can. He stumbles, and she pushes past him and out the front door, slamming it so hard the glass almost shatters. Everyone is in complete shock. Cody shakes his head, face burning with the sting of the slap and of embarrassment. Jessica sighs. "I'll go find her." She closes her laptop and hurries out the front door, calling her name.

Everyone else is slowly getting back to their senses. "Well," Nate says. "That is quite a lot of money to be asking for, especially when your parents are very wealthy. I'm sure you have a good explanation for this sudden outburst, hm?" Cody just sighs. "As a matter of fact, I do. Alex doesn't have any parents. She's been in and out of foster homes her entire life. Now, she lives in a back alleyway somewhere in the Brooklin area, I don't know for sure where, she won't tell us exactly. She has no money, no shelter, no food of her own. She freaking lives in a cardboard box with her small backpack of essentials and a mangy, flea-ridden cat. She doesn't want to stay at any of our houses, and she does not do well with other people helping her. I had to do something, though, and I didn't think she'd put two and two together so quickly. I guess I just wasn't good enough at concealing it."

Eliot rolls his eyes. "Yeah, boy, you were very discreet." He says sarcastically. But he can't stay mad forever. He had gotten the answer to his question, and it made sense to him. Here was a girl who is surrounded by a bunch of rich kids, and she can't even afford to feed herself. He could also see why she would storm out like that. She kind of reminded him of himself a little bit. Always protecting the people you care about, and never asking anything in return. That was just the kind of people hitters tended to be. He looks at the counter she was sitting on and notices that the Rubik's pyramid was solved. She really did know a trick, and she finished before she even left. Incredible! He makes up his mind to go after her, maybe cheer her up. He starts to head over to the doors when Nate asks, "Where are you going, Eliot?" Eliot growls. He just stares at Nate, willing him to understand. Fortunately, Nate gets the notion. He nods, and Eliot opens the door and goes to his truck.

* * *

"So, Nate, do we have a deal then?" "_Man, this kid was persistent!" _He grumbles. "Listen. Let our team think about it overnight, and we'll give you an answer tomorrow. About 3:00 sound good?" Cody thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "By the way, the 5 % is optional, now that Alex knows about it." Nate smiles. "Of course." He frowns. "Hm, maybe you should wait here until your friend comes back." He sees the mischievous glint in Chen's eyes and backtracks. "Don't think that this is a long term agreement. You're still underage. Hardison and Sophie will make sure you won't get into any trouble."

"Where are you going, and why not me?" Parker frowns, confused. "Well, I believe we might have a job coming up that requires you to be completely focused. Go home and get some sleep. As for me, I'm going to go to my apartment and get some paperwork for our client tomorrow." "But...!" She starts to argue, but Nate holds up his hands, not finished. "I don't want to hear you complaining. Just think of the consequences of you making a mistake on the con because you're too damn tired. Your focus is crucial. Now go." Parker pouts, but stands up, grabs her stuff, and heads for the doors. Chen gives her the eyebrow, and she pushes him aside, causing him to trip over his own feet. He falls to the ground just as the door closes with a bang. "_That door has had a rough night_." Hardison thinks, smiling just a little bit. Chen grabs blindly for his glasses, putting them back on his face, which has an enormous grin on it. "Feisty! I like it." Cody just shakes his head.

* * *

**Please review how you like it so far! The next chapter will come next week. Until then, PEACE OUT!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, l'm back with the third installment of this exciting story! Enjoy!**

* * *

Alex was running in a dead sprint. Tears blur everything around her, falling on her cold cheeks, mixing in with the rain as she stumbles blindly, navigating the streets she has learned to call home these last three years. She always hates it when Cody tries to help her like that. And the way he was so sly and cunning about it his time just pushed her buttons. She didn't ask for help, and she doesn't need it anyway. She hears Jessica calling her name, but she doesn't stop and turn around. She needs some alone time to calm herself. So she runs and runs until her lungs feel like they're going to burst.

She stops and steadies herself on a wall, a sob racking her whole body. The rain has soaked and she starts shivering. "_What was I thinking? Cody was only trying to be nice to me,and I just turned around and slapped him! What kind of friend am I?" _She wipes her face with her leather sleeve and looks at her surroundings. She is on a paved road near a rundown church, a neon sign flickering weakly on a crooked stand. "The House Of God Welcomes You!" it says. The place looks abandoned,with the doors and windows boarded up, the steps rotted and broken."_Yeah, very welcoming." _She snides. The rest of the area is closed businesses and restaurants. She goes over to the curb and sits down to think. She's probably one and a half miles from the bar. Her friends are probably worried sick about her. She wraps her thin leather jacket around her and puts her head in her hands, listening to the wind howl and the rain pound on the ground. Thunder claps and lightning lights up the darkened sky.

She hears a pick-up truck coming down the road and stop in front of the church. She hears the door open and shut and heavy footsteps walking towards her. "May I sit with you on this fine and rainy evening?" says the gruff voice of Eliot Spencer. Alex brings her head up and wipes her eyes again. Then she takes a deep breath and says, "It's a free country, I guess." Eliot chuckles and sits on the curb next to her.

The silence was thick and dense in the air. It almost becomes too uncomfortable. "You know, darling, I understand why you wouldn't want the money. I mean, I'm the same way. We want to be able to do things ourselves, not asking for any assistance. We can fend for ourselves, you know? That's just the way we are. Plus, that Cody person was quite blatant about it. He should have asked you first." Alex snorts. "Yeah, well, I'm usually left out of conversations like that. I got used to it. The problem was he did it so unaffected by the weight of his words. I don't understand how he could do that! So sneaky and cunning like that just...Ugh! It's not like I'm special or anything."

Eliot shakes his head. "Sometimes, I get this feeling. It's like I..need people. Like I have to be with my crew. Like I actually belong somewhere. It took me a while to feel that, but over time, they have been wearing away at the defenses I've put up to protect myself. This situation, this feeling you have, it's the start of that process. You don't feel like you belong, like you are included, because you are so solitary. You want to protect your friends, but you doubt yourself. You don't want to fail, but if you do, then it will break you. You don't want to be too attached, and that if you fail to protect them, you will never forgive yourself. So to keep yourself from feeling like that, you put up walls between you and the people you love. But now, those walls is weakening. They are getting to your heart, and you don't know how to deal with it. So you do the only thing you can do. Run." He takes a big breath. "But even if you run, you can't escape the feeling. It stays with you. It may hurt at first, but sooner or later you learn to want it. I understand why you ran. Hell, I did the exact same thing." His eyes glaze over for a little bit, then he looks into Alex's eyes. "But I came back, and now I have a place to call my own. I have friends that can be so annoying, but there still my friends. My...family. And those teenagers are your friends. And you too, will learn to accept them as so. Don't doubt yourself. Let those walls be chipped away. Soon, you will heal, and you'll feel a lot better."

Alex pondered hard on what Eliot had said. It made her realize that that was exactly what she was doing. She was running from her feelings. She felt tears slip down her face, and she didn't stop them. Eliot puts his arm around her and lets her cry. They stay that way for a good while. Finally the tears stopped flowing. She looks up and takes a big, slow deep breath. "Now, are you ready to go back? Your friends are probably wondering if you're going to come back." She gives him a weak smile and nods her head. They get up and head towards the truck.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Jessica returns with dripping and slumped shoulders. "She's gone." She says quietly. Hardison walks over, grabs a towel, and and wraps it around her. "It's OK, I think Eliot went to look for her." She nods her head and sits back in her seat. Hardison starts talking nerd stuff, and Jessica quickly joins in. Sophie is talking to Stephanie excitedly, and Chen is humming happily to himself, completely unaffected by Alex's disappearance. She does this all the time, she'll come back eventually. Cody is sitting on a stool, waiting impatiently for Alex's return. "_Boy, did I screw up this time! Just as I think she's starting to get used to being part of the group, I go and do this! I should never have done that. Now she might not come back, all because of me." _He sighs and puts his chin in his palm.

Sophie looks over and sees Cody all alone and whispers to Stephanie, "I think we should try to cheer up Cody. He looks really depressed!" Stephanie couldn't agree more, so they go over to him and sit down, one on each side of him. He looks up. "Hey, it's not your fault. You were only trying to help! Besides, it was my idea in the first place." Cody looks surprised. "_It's like they can somehow read my mind!" _Sophie chuckles. "No, we can't read your mind. We're grifters, and we specialize in reading people's body language and facial expressions. It's what we do." Cody doubts that, but lets it go. He sighs. "What are we going to do if she doesn't come back? Then we'd be down a hitter, and that is not good." He looks at his watch. "She's been gone for almost an hour! Plus, we need to get back home before our parents become suspicious." "Trust me, Eliot's going to find her. He's the best retrieval specialist I know, he'll get her somehow." Sophie promises.

Just as she said that, They hear the sound of Eliot's pick up come into the parking lot. After a few seconds, Alex and Eliot enter the bar. Cody jumps up to run to Alex, but Stephanie puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a 'just wait' look. Sophie gets another towel and wraps it around Alex's shoulders. Alex nods her thanks, walks over to Cody and says, "I'm sorry for slapping you. I guess you really just pissed me off. I'll try not to do it again." Cody smiles. "As long as you're in this crew, I don't really care. I deserved it." Alex just grins and nods her head. Chen looks at the clock mounted on the wall. "Oh, shit! I gotta run home! My parents are going to get worried!" "Yeah, mine too! My sisters will be so mad at me if I'm not home before they go to bed." Stephanie chirps in. Jessica sighs. "My dad probably doesn't care, but I do want to go home and charge my laptop." Cody nods. "I'll call my dad's chauffeur to give us a ride. My brother's probably asleep already." He takes out his cellphone and turns away.

Alex goes over to her puzzle and stares at the symmetrical beauty of it. "I'll just take the metro and get on going. My cat needs to be fed, and I don't want her to start whining." Stephanie sighs. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want to sleep at any of our houses? I mean, with the storm and everything, you could get pneumonia!" Alex grumbles, but she can't help but agree. So she says, "Fine. But I need to get my stuff first. Jess, can I stay with you? I'm pretty sure your dad won't mind." Jessica nods her head. "Sure. You can sleep in the guest bedroom! My brothers and sisters won't mind, I don't think." (She had 2 brothers and 3 sisters.) "I hope none are allergic to cats!" Alex says. Jessica grins. "My older brother is, but he's an ass! It doesn't matter to me." Alex just shakes her head.

Cody ends the phone call and says, "Alright, the limo will be here in a few minutes. Alex, you might need to show him where you live. I'll tip him, so as not to say anything about it." Alex nods her head. The limo gets there and everyone starts heading for the door. Cody turns around. "Well, I will see you guys tomorrow, hopefully to hear some good news." Then he turns around and gets into the limo. "Bye Hardison! Maybe I'll bring my dads software and show you how it works sometime!" Hardison's eyes light up. "Oh, It's so the age of the geek, baby!" "Bye Sophie!" Stephanie shouts out the window. "Bye, darling. I'll see you tomorrow!" Alex looks at Eliot. He smiles that charming smile and nods. She smiles back and gets into the limo. The tires squeal and the limo lurches forward and onto the road.

"Well, I'm going home." Eliot announces. "Yeah, me too!" Hardison says, stifling a yawn. "I guess I could get some shut eye myself, I suppose." Sophie inquires. So they all go their separate ways.

* * *

**I know, this chapter is a little dark, but I tried to put some humor into it. I promise the next chapters will get better! Tune in to see what the Leverage crew will decide! Dun dun dun! :p  
**


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